- Delta delays launch of service to Saudi Arabia over attacks on airport
Source: United Press International
“Delta Airlines’ plans to add nonstop service to Saudi Arabia are being put on hold after deadly attacks on the Riyadh airport that have killed at least 12 people. Delta announced Monday that nonstop flights from Atlanta to Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport will be delayed until March. They were set to begin service on Oct. 23. … The first flight to Saudi Arabia was to take off next week with an Airbus A350-900 aircraft. It would have been the first commercial nonstop flight from the United States to Saudi Arabia by a U.S. airline. The Riyadh airport has had thousands of flights canceled since last week as the Iran-backed militant group the Houthis have escalated attacks on the airport in recent days.” (10/12/26)
- Belgium: Strike Partly Shuts Regime Sector as Budget Deal Delayed
Source: US News & World Report
“Belgium’s public sector was partially shut down on Monday as unions staged a second day of nationwide strike action against planned government budget cuts, amid mounting political pressure on Prime Minister Bart De Wever over a stalled budget agreement. … Rail services, public transport, public broadcasting and schools were all affected as public sector workers protested against government plans. … Belgian media reported that the budget deal could be delayed to late October or early November and that a prolonged deadlock could put the coalition’s cohesion under strain.” (10/12/26)
- Pentagon data breach exposes records of over 3 million people
Source: Fox News
“You can change a password after a breach. You can cancel a credit card. But when your Social Security number gets exposed, you could be dealing with the fallout for years. That is the concern after a major breach involving the Pentagon’s Defense Manpower Data Center. If you have served in the military, worked for the Department of War or have other ties to the military community, your information could be among the records involved. A War Department official told CyberGuy that 2.76 million living individuals and 294,000 deceased individuals were affected. Depending on the person, the exposed information can include Social Security numbers, names, dates of birth, contact information and military personnel details.” (10/12/26)
https://www.foxnews.com/tech/pentagon-data-breach-exposes-records-over-3m-people
- Federal judge admonishes Trump administration over East Potomac Park tree removal
Source: The Hill
“A federal judge scolded Trump administration lawyers on Monday for failing to provide sufficient notice before cutting down hundreds of trees in East Potomac Park over the weekend, saying she was ‘beyond disappointed’ with the government’s conduct. ‘I trusted you all not to do precisely what you have done,’ U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes said during an emergency hearing, adding that the government had lost ‘all of its credibility’ in the case. Reyes is overseeing a lawsuit brought by the DC Preservation League and two individuals seeking to block an overhaul of the public golf courses on the property, which President Trump has said he wants converted into a championship-caliber course capable of hosting professional tournaments.” (10/12/26)
- Report: Sean “Diddy” Combs rushed from New Jersey prison to hospital due to head injury
Source: New York Post
“Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs was taken out of a New Jersey federal lockup by ambulance over the weekend so he could receive medical treatment for a head injury, according to a report. The 56-year-old rapper – who’s been serving a 50-month sentence on a prostitution-related conviction – was transported from FCI Fort Dix in the Garden State on Saturday morning, according to a report by TMZ. It wasn’t immediately clear how he injured his head or what facility he was taken to. … The disgraced music mogul made headlines Friday, when it was reported he received a harsh penalty at the low-security prison because of his alleged cushy treatment and a contraband cell phone he was accused of using to view racy content.” (10/12/26)
- Economy Nobel prize in economics awarded to Robert E Hall and Michael Woodford
Source: CNBC
“Robert E. Hall and Michael Woodford were on Monday awarded the Nobel memorial prize in economics for work that underpins the models used by central banks and governments to ‘smooth out’ periods of boom and bust. The U.S.-born pair were jointly awarded for their contribution to the ‘microeconomic foundations’ that contribute to macroeconomic stability. The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel was established by Sweden’s central bank in 1968. The winners will split a 12 million Swedish kronor ($1.2 million) prize.” (10/12/26)
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/10/12/nobel-economics-prize-winner-woodford-hall.html
- UK: Documents falsified to evade extortion of Abramovich’s wealth, BBC finds
Source: BBC News [UK state media]
“The world’s biggest accountancy firm helped in falsifying documents to hide Roman Abramovich’s wealth and evade tax, BBC Panorama has found. Accounts signed off by Deloitte in Cyprus meant assets such as superyachts, mansions and private jets worth $672m (£508m) vanished from Abramovich’s company accounts. Deloitte also appears to have advised on a scheme to evade a huge tax bill on the oligarch’s wealth through the falsification of documents. … Abramovich’s lawyers said he denies that he evaded tax or concealed his fortune. … For nearly two decades, Roman Abramovich was the most famous Russian oligarch in the UK, welcomed in London where he bought Chelsea Football Club in 2003 and bankrolled the club’s most successful period. But after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, he was sanctioned by the UK government as an associate of President Vladimir Putin and forced to sell the club.” (10/12/26)
- Israel: Netanyahu demands probe into sources for award-winning Gaza film NAZA
Source: Al Jazeera [Qatari state media]
“Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called for an investigation into the anonymous sources featured in a documentary alleging that Israel’s military killed civilians in Gaza using AI-powered targeting systems. The award-winning film, NAZA, draws on testimony from 24 unnamed Israeli military whistleblowers accusing the army of using the systems to kill numerous civilians in the besieged territory. … Israeli army Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir has called for legal action against the participants to be considered and ordered an investigation into suspected leaks of classified military information used in the film’s production.” (10/12/26)
- Republican lawmakers break with Trump on diesel deal with Russia
Source: Fox News
“President Donald Trump last week touted a diesel agreement with Russian President Vladimir Putin, asserting that prices for the fuel would swiftly fall, but some Republicans have responded by rebuking the president’s move. … The announcement sparked blowback from some Republicans, including outgoing Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska, who declared in a post on X that Trump’s ‘policies towards Russia and Ukraine are failures.’ … Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., declared in a post on Saturday, ‘We will be introducing bipartisan legislation to block any and all purchases of Russian oil.’ … A bipartisan group of senators — including Democratic Sens. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, Ron Wyden of Oregon, as well as GOP Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Thom Tillis of North Carolina and John Curtis of Utah — joined together in a statement pressing the administration to ‘reverse course.'” (10/12/26)
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/republican-lawmakers-break-trump-diesel-deal-russia
- Trump and Rubio weigh firing Kimberly Guilfoyle after reports of improper conduct
Source: The Guardian
“Donald Trump and Marco Rubio, the secretary of state, are considering firing US ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle after a series of reports alleging she has engaged in improper and possibly illegal conduct before and during her tenure in Athens. A senior US official said Sunday that Trump and Rubio are ‘extremely pissed off’ by Guilfoyle’s reported conduct and would likely decide on what action to take this week after Monday’s federal holiday. … In a series of stories, the Wall Street Journal has reported questionable conduct by Guilfoyle, including an alleged threat to a host country official, accepting improper gifts and services and offering to use her influence inside the administration in return for the payment of a large credit card bill.” (10/11/26)
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/oct/11/trump-rubio-weigh-firing-kimberly-guilfoyle
- Archbishop of the US military says Catholic soldiers should not serve on firing squad
Source: SFGate
“Archbishop Timothy Broglio, who oversees the Catholic Church’s pastoral services to Catholics in the U.S. military, is condemning the proposed livestream of the firing squad execution of Nidal Hasan. Broglio, in a statement Monday, also stipulated that any Catholic soldier assigned to the U.S. Army firing squad should ask to be excused from that duty, which he described as contrary to the teachings of the church. He joins other Catholic leaders in speaking out against the death penalty and the livestream plans. Hasan, an Army psychiatrist convicted of killing 13 people in 2009 at Fort Hood in Texas, is scheduled to be executed by firing squad on Dec. 3.” (10/12/26)
- France: Glucksmann wins center-left primary, becoming candidate for presidency
Source: Politico
“Raphaël Glucksmann won France’s center-left primary on Sunday, securing the backing of the Socialist Party and its allies for next year’s presidential election, organizers said. Glucksmann, a member of the European Parliament, won the contest outright with over 66% of votes, beating Socialist Party leader Olivier Faure and three other candidates in the first round. More than 120,000 people voted Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The leader of the small center-left Place Publique party entered the contest as one of the favorites. He now emerges strengthened from the primary, with access to Socialist Party funds and having built a broader base for his candidacy.” (10/11/26)
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Rational Review News Digest / Freedom News Daily - Ukraine: Russian forces attack power plants after Trump energy ceasefire claim
Source: The Guardian
“Russian strikes hit multiple Ukrainian power plants after Donald Trump claimed both sides had agreed to stop hitting each other’s energy infrastructure, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. The Ukrainian president said on social media a drone had hit a power plant in Kyiv on Sunday, leading to power outages in the capital. Shortly after, he said there had been a strike on the CHP-5 power plant in the eastern city of Kharkiv …. Trump said earlier that ‘effective immediately, there is an energy ceasefire in the war between Russia and Ukraine’. ‘Both parties have agreed. Do not break it!’ the US president wrote on his Truth Social platform on Sunday morning in Washington, without further details. Zelenskyy expressed surprise at the announcement, saying the deal was ‘news to me’ and he was seeking further details. Russia has yet to confirm it agreed.” (10/011/26)
- Bitcoin struggles back above $83k a year after $19 billion crypto crash
Source: Investing.com
“Bitcoin remained above $83,000 on Sunday, roughly 34% below its record high, as investors marked one year since a historic $19 billion cryptocurrency liquidation event. … The anniversary follows another volatile week in which Bitcoin fell to $80,308 before recovering towards $83,000, highlighting persistent concerns over leveraged trading. On October 10, 2025, Bitcoin plunged from approximately $122,000 to $105,000 after President Donald Trump announced sweeping tariffs on [American buyers of] Chinese imports. The selloff triggered more than $19 billion in liquidations across cryptocurrency markets, affecting approximately 1.6 million trading accounts.” (10/11/26)
- Saudi Arabia: One dead in new attack on airport, a day after Houthi strike kills 13
Source: Yahoo! News
“One person was killed and nearly a dozen hurt in a new attack Riyadh’s international airport on Sunday, Saudi authorities reported, a day after a strike claimed by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis that killed 13 people and wounded more than 300. Saudi-led coalition forces in Yemen said an unidentified projectile had targeted Riyadh’s international airport Terminal 4 on Sunday, causing a fire. Eleven people were wounded in addition to the fatality, the Saudi civil aviation authority said.” (10/11/26)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/yemens-houthis-renew-warning-over-102315821.html
- Judge halts Trump administration’s taxpayer-funded ads
Source: Axios
“A federal judge on Sunday ordered the Trump administration to immediately halt taxpayer-funded ads featuring President Trump. The ruling temporarily blocks the ads weeks before November’s midterm elections as multiple lawsuits challenging the Trump administration’s use of taxpayer money play out in court. … The Trump administration maintains that the ads are public service announcements and that previous Republican and Democratic administrations have used taxpayer-funded advertising to promote government policies. Trump pledged to pay for the ads himself after both lawsuits were filed, though the White House told Axios there were no plans to reimburse the government for millions already spent on the ads.” (10/11/26)
https://www.axios.com/2026/10/12/trump-taxpayer-funded-ads-judge-order
- Mexico: Hurricane Simon hits Pacific coast with damaging winds and rain
Sourc: PBS [US state media]
“Hurricane Simon pounded Mexico’s Pacific coast as a Category 4 storm on Sunday, its eye remaining just offshore as its most powerful winds and rain slammed people living between the Sierra Madre and the ocean. The hurricane’s center swirled parallel to the coast, closing in on the Puerto Vallarta area, where its most damaging winds and rain were expected to hit around midnight and continue through Monday morning.” (10/11/26)
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/hurricane-simon-hits-mexicos-pacific-coast
- Palestine: Abbas postpones legislative elections another year, marking 20 years without a vote
Source: CBS News
“President Mahmoud Abbas postponed what would have been the first Palestinian elections in nearly 20 years, issuing a decree on Friday to further delay voting for the Palestinian Legislative Council almost another year. Rather than take place as scheduled next month, the decree pushes the elections back to Sept. 11, 2027, according to WAFA, the official Palestinian news agency. Presidential elections, which have not taken place for more than two decades, are scheduled for the same day. The postponement leaves entrenched Palestinian leaders unchallenged and threatens to further erode the Palestinian Authority’s credibility among ordinary Palestinians and donor countries who fund it.” (10/10/26)
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/mahmoud-abbas-postpones-palestinian-legislative-elections/
- OR: Gang members attack Salem residents with chemical weapons
Source: Salem Reporter
“Federal immigration agents left multiple people needing medical care after tear-gassing a group that was surrounding their vehicles in northeast Salem on Saturday, Oct. 10, according to the Salem Police Department. Around 9:30 a.m., agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement reported around 30 people gathered in a Salem parking lot to prevent the agents from leaving, the police department said in a statement. … Following ICE agents’ use of tear gas, multiple 911 calls came into the local dispatch center, reporting people with difficulty breathing and eye irritation, according to Salem Police. Both are symptoms of exposure to tear gas.” (10/10/26)
https://www.salemreporter.com/2026/10/10/ice-agents-deploy-tear-gas-on-group-gathered-in-ne-salem/
- Plan B for Trump’s election intimidation: An iron fist in a velvet glove
Source: The Hill
by Steven J Lepper, Dan Maurer, & Eugene R Fidell“Gen. Dan Caine, the nation’s senior-most military leader, recently told Sen Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) that the U.S. military has ‘no plans’ to be at polling places in November. But President Trump has made it impossible to dismiss fears of military interference. To the contrary, his persistent assault on the integrity of the voting process, his suggestion that Republicans ‘should take over the voting in at least 15 places,’ and his refusal to rule out invoking the Insurrection Act have led many to begin bracing for an imminent collision. Americans across the country are worrying that their constitutionally-assured right to vote will be curtailed by Trump’s increasingly frantic search for anything that will preserve his party’s congressional majorities.” (10/12/26)
https://thehill.com/opinion/civil-rights/6141788-trump-military-polling-interference/
- If The Truth Is A Threat To Israel, Then Israel Should Not Exist
Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone“Israel is so evil that it’s actually illegal for Israelis to tell the truth about it. Benjamin Netanyahu has just ordered Israel’s military, its attorney general, and its security agency Shin Bet to investigate and prosecute the soldiers who anonymously shared their experiences in the Gaza Strip with the award-winning investigative documentary [sic] ‘NAZA’. According to Haaretz, Netanyahu accused the soldiers of ‘serious information security offenses, criminal defamation and harm to Israel’s diplomatic and security interests’, adding that ‘there is concern that those involved in the defamatory film committed serious criminal offenses by exposing highly classified information and creating a breach in the information security of a highly sensitive intelligence unit’. Netanyahu’s accusations of ‘defamation’ are contradicted by his other accusation of ‘exposing highly classified information’. The 24 soldiers interviewed for the film are being prosecuted not because they told lies about Israel, but because they told the truth.” (10/12/26)
- Washington Still Wants Moscow Contained
Source: Libertarian Institute
by José Niño“U.S. President Donald Trump repeatedly promised he could end the Russo-Ukrainian War quickly. Yet the actions attributed to his administration point toward a more familiar Washington strategy that demands capitulation to the so-called ‘rules-based’ order. The contradiction reinforces an old rule of politics. Watch what officials do, not simply what they say.” (10/12/26)
https://libertarianinstitute.org/articles/washington-still-wants-moscow-contained/
- To Tackle Affordability, Georgia’s Next Governor Should Start with Cutting Red Tape
Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by J Thomas Perdue“In November, Georgians will elect a new governor. Several issues have come to define this election cycle, and the two candidates’ platforms offer significantly different solutions to the problems facing the state. Former Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and her opponent Rick Jackson will also have to navigate national referendums on their respective parties. But if there is one central issue of this campaign, it is affordability. Budget strain is a concern for Georgia businesses and households alike. No matter who occupies the governor’s mansion in 2027, one problem a new administration must address is the growing burden of regulations from the administrative state.” (10/12/26)
- “Ask Your Doctor:” The Media’s Most Dangerous Tagline
Source: Brownstone Institute
by Alan Cassels“The plotlines are predictable. A slick 60 seconds and we see the fate of worried people suffering some sort of condition ‘ask their doctor’ about Drug X, and soon the new prescription is magically transforming their lives. They turn into bliss and smiles as they romp their way through meadows of wildflowers while, sotto voce, we catch strange murmurs of liver failure and premature death. … Most of the Americans I know seem to be pretty healthy people, but any newcomer confronting all the US screens for the first time might conclude one thing: ‘Man, these people must be really sick.’ They are sick, but not in the way of being physically sick. Sick as in showing all the adverse effects of living in a polluted information ecosystem where toxic levels of drug propaganda drift through the airwaves as freely as exhaust engulfs a freeway.” (10/12/26)
https://brownstone.org/articles/ask-your-doctor-the-medias-most-dangerous-tagline/
- The Greatness of Christopher Columbus
Source: Town Hall
by Mark Lewis“It’s time for the Left’s annual anti-Columbus bash. And once again, we will see the total injustice of leftism, their hatred of Western Civilization, their desire to destroy so they can build their godless ‘New World’. Columbus actually found a new world, one that we rejoice to live in. I doubt we’ll want the ‘new world’ the Left has in mind. The problem here with the Left is their fallacious judging — and usually condemning — of everyone who ‘lived in the past’, especially if that person had anything to do with Christianity or Western Civilization. And it’s pure hypocrisy.” (10/12/26)
https://townhall.com/columnists/marklewis/2026/10/12/the-greatness-of-christopher-columbus-n2684474
- The Political Constitution at War
Source: Law & Liberty
by Richard M Reinsch II‘The Iran War’s inception and its effects have brought into high relief the potential fragility and danger for America in its chosen method of waging war by relying on the sole judgment of the president. President Trump embarked on the war without consulting Congress, let alone persuading it or seeking its approval. Our practice of unilateral presidential war-making did not begin with Trump, but his war exemplifies its most troubling aspects.” (10/12/26)
- If Nidal Hasan Execution Is Livestreamed, We Are a Barbaric Nation
Source: The New Republic
by Michael Tomasky“The only countries to carry out public executions in 2025? Iran and Afghanistan. That’s the company Pete Hegseth wants America to keep.” (10/12/26)
https://newrepublic.com/article/216503/nidal-hasan-execution-livestreamed-hegseth
- What the UK Terror Law Really Protects
Source: Antiwar.com
by Dick Whittington“If section 1 of the Terrorism Act 2000 defines ‘serious (damage to property)’ as terrorism – then on that one word hinges a world of nuance. Section 69 of the Sentencing Act 2020 is the mechanism that enables a judge to attach such a ‘terrorist connection’. So is a broken window just minor criminal damage and a matter for a magistrates’ court, or does it become a ‘serious’ matter and possibly an act of terror to be tried at Crown Court? … Strip away its language of safety and intent, and what this machinery protects is a balance sheet. The government’s own analysts conceded years ago that [Palestine Action] threatens no one. That leaves the Terrorism Act standing guard over the uninterrupted output of the arms factory at Sandwich.” (10/12/26)
https://original.antiwar.com/dick_whittington/2026/10/11/what-the-uk-terror-law-really-protects
- The Great Feminization Comes to Cornell
Source: The Free Press
by Helen Andrews“New York governor Kathy Hochul emphasized her gender when asked on October 3 about her appointment of a special prosecutor to investigate a possible rape at a fraternity house at Cornell University in 2024. Hochul is the first woman to serve as New York’s governor. Letitia James, the woman she appointed as special prosecutor, is the state’s first female attorney general. Seeing these two women take on the Cornell case has a special symbolism, Hochul explained. ‘I’ve heard from a lot of people,’ she said. ‘The image gives them comfort to know that two women perhaps are looking at this differently than men would in the same position.’ She is right. The approach to the law reflected in the New York Democratic officials’ handling of the Cornell case represents a distinctively female perspective. Unfortunately, that perspective is incompatible with the rule of law.” (10/12/26)
- Proposing a Constitutional Amendment
Source: ProSocial Libertarians
by Andrew Jason Cohen“For fun, here’s a proposal: a constitutional amendment requiring that the federal and all state governments must refrain from any actions in markets except those necessary to (a) protect individuals from harm, including theft and fraud, (b) enforce contractual agreements (as this is needed to prevent harm), or (c) rectify harms it failed to prevent through (a) and (b). This proposed limitation on government interference serves at least three purposes.” (10/12/26)
https://prosociallibertarians.substack.com/p/proposing-a-constitutional-amendment
- New York ICE Shooting Illustrates Deliberate Policy of Harm and Medical Neglect
Source: Common Dreams
by Chuck Idelson“President Donald Trump’s ICE terror campaign against US cities reached a new height October 8 with the dangerous shooting of an unarmed Dominican man, with his 5-year-old child in the car, in a densely populated Manhattan neighborhood. The incident adds to a growing scandal over inhumane ICE treatment of victims they harm. ICE agents have repeatedly interfered with or denied medical care for the victims they shoot. Patients have also been pulled out of hospitals prematurely against medical advice and without authorization of their doctors and other medical professionals.” (10/12/26)
https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/new-york-ice-shooting-medical-treatment
- Will the West Awaken?
Source: Common Sense
by Paul Jacob“Of course, one of our central tenets is the right, even duty, to criticize our government. But only a woeful lack of historical perspective or a perverse ideological malice (or both) allows some to pretend that ripping apart our society is a thoughtful critique.” (10/12/26)
https://thisiscommonsense.org/2026/10/12/will-the-west-awaken
- Why Private Rockets Outperform Government Programs at Cape Canaveral
Source: Karl Dickey’s Freedom Vanguard
by Karl Dickey“Why is a government agency using a private company like SpaceX to take cargo up to its space station? Economics, plain and simple; SpaceX can do it for far less money than it can itself. For example, the government-run Space Shuttle cost taxpayers around $54,000 per kilogram to reach low orbit. SpaceX can do the same for $2,600 per kilogram on its Falcon 9 rocket. NASA used to just dump or burn up its rocket boosters, using them one time; SpaceX reuses its rockets many times, dramatically reducing the cost of each mission, and SpaceX continually reduces the cost per kilogram to get cargo to low orbit and space. … Removing bureaucratic friction caused by government produces local job growth in Florida, lowers costs for essential services, and improves the lives and freedom of millions.” (10/12/260
https://palmbeachexaminer.substack.com/p/why-private-rockets-outperform-government
- The British Radical Who Used the American Revolution to Curb the Crown
Source: The UnPopulist
by Andy Craig“In the spring of 1778, with the war in America going badly, a member of the House of Lords proposed that Britain withdraw its forces and recognize American independence. Charles Lennox, the third Duke of Richmond, was a great-grandson of King Charles II, one of the wealthiest men in the country, and about as well-placed in the British establishment as anyone could be. He was also, for 15 years, its most persistent critic. Richmond is not a name most Americans would recognize. Danielle Allen’s Radical Duke makes a good case that he ought to be.” (10/12/26)
https://www.theunpopulist.net/p/the-british-radical-who-used-the
- What I Saw and Heard in Vance Country
Source: The American Conservative
by Peter Van Buren“Meigs County is around 79 percent Republican; more importantly, 71 percent of adults typically vote, solidly above the U.S. average. The Democrats should take note as they try to retake Ohio in this year’s elections. Many in the area rely on food stamps. Yet people tend to see their benefits as deserved, since most work and pay taxes, unlike the way they see the people in big cities, who they think depend on the same assistance across multiple generations. It takes little more than a bottle of beer to hear anecdotes suggesting this perspective is racially tinged, as is locals’ view of democratic socialism. Public opinion here is still shaped by local daytime conservative talk radio shows listened to in the truck. Being here you understand that the jumbled beliefs people hold do not always make sense—but they vote based on those beliefs, whether you find them logical or not.” (10/12/26)
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/what-i-saw-and-heard-in-vance-country/
- Quantum Vibe, 10/12/26
Source: Big Head Press
by Scott BieserCartoon. (10/12/26)
- Military chiefs ruling over regional fiefdoms are the problem
Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Katherine Thompson“When combatant commanders become more powerful than civilians in the eyes of the media, Washington, and world leaders, it throws off a critical balance.” (10/12/26)
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/hegseth-generals-admirals/
- Trump and Putin: More Than Just Diesel
Source: American Greatness
by Stephen Bryen“On October 9 in the afternoon, President Donald Trump said on Truth Social that he had struck a deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin, arranging deliveries of diesel fuel to the United States and world markets. Trump said that Russia would immediately supply more than 300,000 tons of diesel, followed by an additional 500,000 tons in November and 1 million tons ‘immediately thereafter’. Russia will deliver an additional 3 million tons ‘within a short period of time after that’, Trump said. … The announcement triggered outrage in Kiev, with Zelensky condemning the U.S. and Trump personally. Zelensky said it was ‘definitely unfair’, ‘definitely not partner-like’, and ‘a weak decision by strong partners’, effectively portraying it as a stab in the back. The Trump administration had been openly asking Kiev and Zelensky not to launch attacks against Russian refineries, but Kiev rejected the American requests.” (10/12/26)
https://amgreatness.com/2026/10/12/trump-and-putin-more-than-just-diesel/
- James Madison on Human Nature
Source: Law & Liberty
by Aaron Alexander Zubia“The Founders’ constitutional morality demands more than mechanical checks and balances.” (10/12/260
- Is Modi facing his own Bangladesh moment?
Source: Asia Times
by Faisal Mahmud“Demanding the resignation of a minister is one thing. It is uncomfortable for a government, occasionally embarrassing for a prime minister, but ultimately manageable. Ministers can be sacrificed and their departures can be presented as accountability, and governments can move on. Demanding the resignation of the chief election commissioner is quite another matter and for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the difference could hardly be more consequential. The latest wave of protests in New Delhi centers on allegations of widespread voter manipulation through the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and other suspected electoral irregularities, with demonstrators demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.” (10/12/26)
https://asiatimes.com/2026/10/is-modi-facing-his-own-bangladesh-moment/
- The US and China created a new ‘Trade Board’ built on buzz words
Source: Los Angeles Times
by David Hebert“Last month, the White House announced that the United States and China had ‘operationalized’ their new Board of Trade. The working procedures, however, say remarkably little about how the board is actually supposed to operate. Years of tariff disputes between Washington and Beijing have produced many announcements. The Board of Trade is the newest one. Tariffs and other forms of trade restrictions have been a largely ineffective strategy against China.” (10/12/26)
- Trump Has Been Trampling Free Speech for More Than 40 Years—and It Keeps Getting Worse
Source: Reason
by Jacob Sullum“Three decades before he was first elected president, Donald Trump had big plans for a 26-acre building site near the South Street Seaport in Manhattan. … He imagined a 150-story structure, including offices, apartments, and a hotel, that would be 1,940 feet high, surpassing Chicago’s Sears Tower, then the world’s tallest building, by nearly 500 feet. Paul Gapp, the Chicago Tribune‘s architecture critic, did not think much of that plan. … ‘The world’s tallest tower would be one of the silliest things anyone could inflict on New York or any other city.’ Trump was indulging in ‘Guinness Book of World Records architecture,’ Gapp said. … Trump did not like what Gapp said. And according to Trump, Gapp had no right to his opinion. Two months after the Tribune published Gapp’s column, Trump sued him and the newspaper for defamation.” (10/11/26)
- Europeans Look for Options as Costs Mount in Ukraine
Source: Washington Monthly
by Tamar Jacoby“[A]fter nearly five years of fighting, Europeans are running out of options, which is why the debate is circling back again to an idea proposed and rejected several times in the past—leveraging the Russian Central Bank assets held in European financial institutions. Europeans—both nation-states and the European Union—have tried just about everything else.” (10/12/26)
https://washingtonmonthly.com/2026/10/12/europeans-look-for-options-as-costs-mount-in-ukraine/
- The Queer Optimism of Post-Apocalyptic Survivalism
Source: exile in happy valley
by Nicky Reid“It is in downright soul crushing times like these that the little things become lifesaving. I speak as a learned student of several years of intensive trauma therapy when I say that self-care is a martial art when you are this fucked up. I have my chocolate and my candles and my dreary lesbian rock music but, as bizarre as it might sound, when all feels fucked, I prep, and I’m not talking about HIV. When I say I prep, I mean I prep like a millenarian militia fiend with tits during the run-up to Y2K. … amidst all this doom and gloom and camouflage, I find peace or at least something vaguely resembling it.” (10/11/26)
https://exileinhappyvalley.blogspot.com/2026/10/the-queer-optimism-of-post-apocalyptic.html
- Leonard Peltier’s Fight Isn’t Over
Source: The American Prospect
by James Baratta“Inside the 15th Street Quaker Meeting House on Sunday, October 4, a score of bright-colored paintings depicting Native American heritage and activism were displayed at the center of the worship space. Those paintings, a selection of works by the 82-year-old Indigenous activist and elder Leonard Peltier, drew dozens and then hundreds of people to the venue for an afternoon with members of Peltier’s family, longtime advocates, and friends. Among them was the Church of Stop Shopping’s Reverend Billy, an anti-consumerist preacher personality portrayed by actor and playwright William Talen. ‘This is an event of our lifetime for many of us here,’ he said. Reverend Billy emceed the event, which aired live on the Pacifica Network, and Peltier attended the exhibition virtually from the Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation in North Dakota. Peltier’s son and grandson hauled the paintings on display by truck from there all the way to New York City.” (10/12/26)
https://prospect.org/2026/10/12/leonard-peltiers-fight-isnt-over-american-indian-movement/
- How to Normalize Immigration: Elements of Liberal Immigration Reforms
Source: Liberal Currents
by Anna O Law“The United States is experiencing constitutional failure. Many of the guardrails of our democracy have given way. At this moment, it requires a feat of imagination to conjure what a new immigration system might look like when liberals regain power. According to the assessment of 500 political scientists (I am one of the respondents) who are regularly queried in the Bright Line Watch survey, the US is currently entrenched in some form of authoritarianism. The first instinct is to stop the bleeding, to stop the slide into complete authoritarianism. Coming up with reforms to heal and strengthen US democracy may be secondary. But liberals need to simultaneously throw sand in the gears of Donald Trump’s attempt at authoritarian consolidation and start thinking about what a replacement immigration system would look like.” (10/11/26)
- The “wonders” of DEI – a UK issue only? Hardly.
Source: The Price of Liberty
by Nathan Barton“The Donald and others have proclaimed that DEI is dead in the States. Obviously, a lot of people disagree with that. Including a great many powerful and connected businesses in fields like banking and finance, education, and health care. As have many State and municipal regimes. Indeed, many entities are doubling-down on pushing these things (which we prefer to call DIE, here at TPOL: Diversity, Inclusion and Equity as they promote it is seemingly fatal to society and liberty. Indeed, the results often seem to be Division, Insanity, and Erasure. Such is definitely not the case in the United Kingdom, as a recent commentary on the failure of a jury to convict a vandal of a Churchill statue pointed out. His Majesty and His Majesty’s government are pushing DEI strongly: some municipalities even more so.” (10/11/26)
https://thepriceofliberty.org/2026/10/11/the-wonders-of-dei-a-uk-issue-only-hardly/
- Kimberly Guilfoyle Accusations Aren’t Really a “Scandal”
Source: Garrison Center
by Thomas L Knapp“It seems to me that, in order for something to qualify as a ‘scandal,’ it has to allege conduct that’s corrupt beyond the ordinary or expected. The only thing extraordinary or unexpected about the self-enriching conduct of the Trump crime family is that, for the most part, it’s all done right out in the open. From cryptocurrency scams to insider trading to sweetheart contracts, the Donald and his offspring operate their corruption machine in a refreshingly transparent manner. They don’t care if you notice, and don’t consider such things worth the minimal effort of manufacturing plausible cover stories for. … today’s Republicans are dogs compared to modern Democratic cats: Both animals will happily take a dump on your lawn, but only one can be bothered to cover it up.” (10/11/26)
- With nothing to lose, Republicans still put America last
Source: The Hill
by Elias Khoury“Last week, the Senate voted on a resolution would force the State Department to produce a report on Israeli violence in the West Bank. The legislation would require the State Department to report on human rights in countries receiving American security funds within 30 days. If the department fails to produce a report in time, those funds halt automatically. … Since 2022, at least nine U.S. citizens have been killed in the West Bank. None of the perpetrators have faced accountability. It’s a striking trend: a foreign government, funded and armed by the United States, killing Americans without repercussion. You’d think lawmakers would unanimously be desperate for answers. But you would be wrong.” (10/09/26)
https://thehill.com/opinion/international/6138235-gop-rejects-america-first-test/
- A French debt solution: Burn it. Freeze it. Anything but address it.
Source: Washington Post
by George F Will“The sound and fury of this autumn’s politics signifies nothing but the bipartisan determination to talk about anything (data centers are the distraction-du-jour) other than the most important thing: the ruinous consensus beneath today’s performative rancor. Both parties are committed, behaviorally if not ideologically, to running huge deficits at every point in the business cycle. As a result, interest costs, which were $241 billion in fiscal 2016, have more than tripled in 10 years, to $1.1 trillion. As the cost of servicing the national debt will drive future annual budget deficits up from $2 trillion, something else will increase commensurately: the temptation of repudiation.” (10/09/26)
- Trump’s “Free Speech” Agenda: Siccing the FBI on Critics, Barring Reporters, and Threatening Broadcasters
Source: Reason
by Steven Greenhut“During his family trip to England last year, Vice President J.D. Vance lectured the European Union on its approach to free speech. Lacking the equivalent of the United States'[s] First Amendment, European nations—and Great Britain in particular—have admittedly embraced speech policies that most Americans should find creepy. ‘Democracy rests on the sacred principle that the voice of the people matters. There’s no room for firewalls. You either uphold the principle or you don’t,’ Vance said, as he blasted German political parties for refusing to work with the far-right AfD party. He also criticized British police for arresting anti-abortion protesters and for their nasty habit of monitoring internet speech. It’s hard to take issue with Vance’s point about Europe, although it’s always easiest to remove the speck from someone else’s eye than it is to remove the plank from one’s own.” (10/09/26)
https://reason.com/2026/10/09/remember-when-trump-was-the-free-speech-candidate/
- Manufacturing Surged When Tariffs Were Lifted
Source: The Daily Economy
by David Hebert“Tariffs raised costs and manufacturing jobs disappeared. Now, the administration is declaring victory for partially filling the hole it dug.” (10/09/26)
https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/manufacturing-surged-when-tariffs-were-lifted/
- The Death of the Nobel Peace Prize
Source: The Free Press
by Elisha Wiesel“My father, Elie Wiesel, received the Nobel Peace Prize for ensuring the Holocaust wouldn’t be forgotten. By honoring Navi Pillay, who accused Israel of genocide, the committee has betrayed his legacy.” [editor’s note: I can’t really say whether Pillay deserves that particular prize, but noticing the attempted genocide in Gaza certainly doesn’t seem like a disqualification for it, and does seem like a continuation, not a betrayal, or Wiesel’s work – TLK] (10/09/26)
https://www.thefp.com/p/elie-wiesel-death-nobel-peace-prize-israel
- Crony Capitalism vs. the Free Market: Sanders, Gordon Gekko and AI
Source: Karl Dickey’s Freedom Vanguard
by Karl Dickey“Sanders condemns corporate welfare, and free-market advocates should too. AI regulation shows how political privilege replaces competition.” (10/11/26)
https://palmbeachexaminer.substack.com/p/crony-capitalism-vs-the-free-market
- Ron Paul Liberty Report, 10/12/26
Source: Ron Paul Liberty Report
“Will Trump’s Russia Diesel Deal Save The Midterms?” (10/12/26)
- Right Now With Perry Bacon, 10/12/26
Source: The New Republic
“Trump’s Two Choices in Iran.” (10/12/26)
https://newrepublic.com/article/216507/trump-running-foreign-policy-options
- Punk Rock Libertarians Podcast, episode 595
Source: Punk Rock Libertarians
“The crew dives into the latest federal giveaways as Kyle breaks down the $1,000 ‘Trump Accounts’ for newborns and the weird, reptilian-like press conference featuring Susan Dell. The hosts debate the Pentagon’s unprecedented plan to livestream the military firing squad execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan, clashing over state-sanctioned murder and the ‘just following orders’ defense. Shifting to public health tyranny, the gang covers New York slapping Amish schools with $2,000-a-day fines over measles vaccine mandates and Maryland sticking to its own aggressive jab schedules. Finally, they react to Pete Hegseth’s anti-woke War Department rhetoric, while Alex and Kyle confirm the bizarre, intrusive physical exams required to join the ranks.” (10/11/26)
- NPR Politics, 10/12/26
Source: National Public Radio [US state media]
“What does the U.S. withdrawal from Iraq mean for the region?” (10/12/26)
- Make It Make Sense, 10/12/26
Source: Washington Post
“Kat Timpf: The right has an affordability problem.” (10/12/26)
- The Headlines, 10/12/26
Source: New York Times
“Growing Threats Against Public Officials, and Trump’s Diesel Deal With Putin.” (10/12/26)
- EconTalk, 10/12/26
Source: EconTalk
“The Great Fertility Collapse (with Jesus Fernandez-Villaverde).” (10/12/26)
https://www.econtalk.org/the-great-fertility-collapse-with-jesus-fernandez-villaverde/
- Neon Liberalism, episode 94
Source: Liberal Currents
“Samantha Hancox-Li and Ben Wittes, editor in chief of Lawfare, discuss how we went from the triumph of the fall of the Berlin Wall to our current world: more war, more conflict, and no end in sight. How did structural factors combined with strategic choices lead to a world where peace has broken down and major power war has returned? Spoiler: it starts in Iraq.” (10/11/26)
- The Remnant with Jonah Goldberg, 10/12/26
Source: The Dispatch
“The Tumultuous, Remarkable Middle East | Interview: Simon Sebag Montefiore.” (10/12/26)
- The Permanent Questions, 10/11/26
Source: The Atlantic
“Do Human Beings Have Souls?” (10/11/26)
https://www.theatlantic.com/podcasts/2026/10/do-human-beings-have-souls/688931/
- Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp, 10/11/26
Source: Antiwar.com
“Saudi Airstrikes Killed 66 Yemeni Civilians in September, US Bombs Ship Near Iran, and More.” (10/11/260
- Pink Flame of Liberty, 10/10/26
Source: Pink Flame of Liberty
“The Big Beautiful Lawsuit Against Angela McArdle and Austin Padgett.” (10/10/26)
- Ian Proud on The Scott Horton Show
Source: The Scott Horton Show
“Scott interviews Ian Proud about how he recently traveled to Russia to hear a speech from Putin, only to be detained by his own government upon his return. Scott and Proud talk about what happened and why he decided to go to Russia. They then discuss the broader state of the war.” (10/10/26)
https://scotthorton.org/interviews/10-5-26-ian-proud-on-getting-detained-by-the-uk-government/
- The Good Fight, 09/10/26
Source: Yascha Mounk
“Why America’s Real Wealth Isn’t in Silicon Valley.” (10/09/26)
- Serious Trouble, 10/09/26
Source: Serious Trouble
“Not Paid for By the US Government.” (10/09/26)
https://www.serioustrouble.show/p/not-paid-for-by-the-us-government
- Ron Paul Liberty Report, 10/09/26
Source: Ron Paul Liberty Report
“‘Golden Age’ Milestone — Gov Budget Deficit Hits $2 Trillion.” (10/09/26)
- The Dispatch Podcast, 10/09/26
Source: The Dispatch
“What Midterm Polling May Be Getting Wrong.” (10/09/26)
https://thedispatch.com/podcast/dispatch-podcast/what-midterm-polling-may-be-getting-wrong/
- Soho Forum Debate: Will Mamdani Make Housing More Affordable?
Source: Reason
“Economist Emily Eisner and former New York State Assemblyman Kenny Burgos debate the resolution, ‘Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s housing policies will make housing more affordable for most New York City residents.'” (10/09/26)
https://reason.com/podcast/2026/10/09/will-mamdani-make-housing-more-affordable/
- Minor Issues, 10/10/26
Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
“Violent Populism.” (10/10/26)
- The Moynihan Report, 10/09/26
Source: The Moynihan Report
“The Confidence Man: Alex Gibney Vs. Elon Musk.” (10/09/26)
https://www.themoynihan.report/p/the-confidence-man-alex-gibney-vs